


Vice

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: Jonah has an unfriendly reminder of his past, in the form of a preppy hedonist he goes to school with.Set in NC3, more or less.Written by request.





	Vice

“We get it, Esme, you’re a slut. Not everyone is like you?” Jonah had grown tired of Esme just talking about sex, if he was honest it was too much of his past. Something she could embrace he just couldn’t anymore. It was too close to the sun, if he embraced that, what else would feel alluring to him.

There was a brief look of fury in Esme’s eyes as she turned on him, and then it was gone. Replaced with something else. Jonah couldn’t name it, exactly. All he knew was he feared it. “But you are, why is it you get to talk about all the things I’ve done but never bring up the one thing we have in common?”

Frankie’s voice felt very small next to him, “What’s she talking about?”

“How much have you told your cute little virgin about your past. How many things you’ve done in your past.”

“You don’t know anything about my past Esme,” The words rang a little empty. Jonah had a few vivid memories of his past life, those that he kept clear to remind him of what he used to be. And why he can’t be that again. And there were nights he had no memory at all. And the rest all blurred together, so he buried them. They were all the same, different girls, different guys, different drugs… the same hedonism.

“Has your little girlfriend seen the birthmark on your thigh, or is that too much for the new reformed you to do?”

The color drained from Jonah’s face.

“Jonah?”

Esme got uncomfortably close, studying Jonah’s face, “You honestly don’t remember? I was young, but I thought I’d be memorable.”

“Jonah?”

***

Jonah wasn’t sure what a kid was doing here, she was too… done up, for this crowd. She might as well have bows in her hair given how preppy she is. Entirely out of place in this crowd. Except she seemed to be drinking vodka straight from the bottle and not having any problem at all.

Looks could be deceiving.

“Are you lost?”

She looked up at him, “I don’t think so, this is Amy’s fourteenth birthday party right, you’re the stripper her parents hired?”

This girl was an odd one, he smiled. The rest was a blur except he definitely remembers he had sex that night. She was- off, she wanted him to go harder. He probably did, he couldn’t remember everything. Other than her ‘you were just okay’ before she left, he went back out to find another hit of anything he could.

***

“I suppose your not remembering is for the best, you were just okay.”

That- that was the last straw. He shoved Esme into the lockers and ran off. He had to- had to leave, had to get away from her. From everything. She called something after him, so did Frankie. Those didn’t matter as he ran, remembering what it was like, letting go, doing whatever, being free to just dive into the darkness.

It felt good.

He felt sick.

He would have kept running but someone grabbed him by the collar and pressed him into the lockers, “What’s wrong?”

Grace. Did she know, did she see the look in his eyes, the desire to just- let it all go? “Nothing, let me go.”

“Bullshit.”

Jonah stared at her, “I just had a reminder of my past. That’s all.”

“What’s wrong?”

***

“So Esme?”

“Yeah… she’d have been around thirteen I guess? She was already messed up even back then. I try not to get too attached to my past. Just enough to remember why I can never be that guy again.” They were sitting outside, letting the cool air calm Jonah down. Hopefully nobody came looking.

“Is this why you and the boys are kinda jerks to her?”

“We’re not-”

Grace glared at him.

“I don’t know about Zig and Tiny, but I can’t just- accept, people having sex the way Esme does. Just- enjoying themselves.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Story of my life. What should I tell Frankie?”

“The truth?” Grace didn’t seem to see any reason not to, blunt and to the point. Why she was great for this.

“She’s too- you know what her family life is. I doubt she’d understand any of this shit.”

“You’d be surprised. And- what do you say if you don’t tell her the truth.”

“Esme was fucking with me?”

“Esme  _ was _ fucking with you. Because you screwed her when she was younger than Frankie.”

Jonah hung his head, “I can’t just- open that door all the way. Let Frankie see who I was. Last time it ended badly.”

“You picked her pocket and used her money to pay off your drug debts. This isn’t the same thing.”

“I still can’t open that door.”

“You opened it with me?”

“You broke the door down and threatened me if I didn’t tell you.”

Grace smirked, “I should teach Frankie to beat you up then?”

“Shut up.” Jonah smiled.

“If you can’t tell her, you probably shouldn’t really be dating her.”

Jonah sat there, not sure how to argue that. He did like Frankie, she was- clean. Nothing about her felt anything less than a fairytale. His role in fairy tale was cautionary tale. He shouldn’t be with her, which is why he wanted to be with her. “I’ll figure something out.”

“And you’ll lay off Esme?”

“Why?”

“Other than the fact you had sex with her when she was thirteen, you and my friends are being sexist dickbags and I’ll beat you within an inch of your life?”

“Right. That.” Jonah smiled in spite of how she’d just threatened to kill him. She wasn’t wrong. All three of them had done things, worse than Esme’s just wanting to have fun naked. All the time. In the parking lot. “I’ll lay off.”

“Now, should we see if Maya’s around to work on songs, and if she isn’t go get burgers?”

Jonah hated how their plans always had to involve ‘what if Maya isn’t around’ but that was the case more and more often. “Sure, burgers sound good. A vice I can totally do right now.”

Now to figure out how to deal with a walking reminder of his past, one who might even know what he hoped nobody knew about. Was she at that party? Was she drinking buddies with the girl he’d never see again? Esme having such a dangerous weapon just- filled him with a fear he never thought he’d have.

He thought that life was behind him. Forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I only hate Jonah because of how horrifically boring his character is and how badly expressed his character's past was. Giving us the best juicy bit of info waaaaaay too late for it to mean anything.


End file.
